Justin Trudeau to visit B.C. First Nation weeks after Truth and Reconciliation day apology
The prime minister will be visiting a B.C. First Nation next week, after calling a vacation he took in the province on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a "mistake."
The nation announced Friday that Justin Trudeau will visit the Kamloops Indian Band, Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc, on Monday.
His agenda for the trip includes a meeting with Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir and others at the nation's pow wow arbour.
During that event, he will meet with a survivor of the Indian Residential School system. Also in attendance will be Kukpi7 Wayne Christian of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, and Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald.
The visit comes nearly two weeks after Trudeau issued a public apology for a vacation he and his family took in Tofino, B.C., on Sept. 30. He chose the vacation over events he'd been invited to by the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc that took part on that day.
A public itinerary suggested the prime minister was in meetings, but his office later confirmed he'd been on the West Coast.
He addressed the controversy surrounding the trip last week, saying he regretted the decision.
"The first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was a time for Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people alike to reflect and connect, think about the past but also focus on the future," he said during an announcement on Oct. 6.
At that time, he said he'd spoken to Chief Casimir and apologized for not being there.
A discovery earlier this year in Casimir's nation of Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc was a shock to some, but for others, was evidence backing stories they'd already heard.
Hundreds of unmarked graves were uncovered at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School through the use of ground-penetrating radar. Initial estimates suggested there may be as many as 215 graves at the site, and there's still more land to be searched.
The search began in part because of the discovery of a child's rib bone near what used to be an apple orchard. Survivors of the school described children as young as six being woken up during the night to dig graves in the orchard.
A tooth was also located in the area, and a section of land measuring 7,000 square metres was studied.
In an update in July, a specialist said there are still nearly 650,000 square metres to survey before the total number of graves is confirmed at the site that held Canada's largest residential school.
One of the challenges to these estimates is that it's difficult to know if an anomaly is a grave when there's no casket.
While the prime minister was in Tofino, Casimir was speaking at an event meant to honour those who survived the school system, and those who didn't.
At that time, she told reporters that honesty and transparency are key to reconciliation, and called for full disclosure of church and government records related to the schools.
With files from CTVNews.ca and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.